The Hooded Savior
by Jexy
Summary: Based off the idea that Emma could be Robin Hood. I went off the fact that Regina's true love had a lion tattoo. Set in Neverland while Regina has to camp with The Charmings, Emma, and Hook. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't sleep so I got up before the sun rose. Everyone in camp was still asleep. It had been a week since I started having to camp with Emma, the Charmings, and that damn pirate. I hated him most of all. He couldn't keep his eyes off of Emma and it was pissing me off. As I looked over the cliff into the sky that was turning a blood orange from the sun, I thought about Emma and our son. We came here to save him. There was something different about Emma here. It was of some surprise to me when I finally realized I cared for this woman whom had been a thorn in my side for the past few years.

"Thinking about what I told you Regina?" I jumped as Tinkerbell came to sit beside me. "Sorry for scaring you." I said nothing. "I meant what I said; it's not too late for you to be happy."

"I'll be happy when I have my son back and he's safe." It came out more of a hiss then I had intended.

"I meant for love Regina. I know you never went into that pub back then and that yes, the fairy dust lead you to him but…I think it was wrong." This interested me. I thought fairy dust was never wrong. "Yes it is true that your true love has a lion tattoo but…"

"Get to the point. I know I screwed up all those years ago. But no one can love me like that. Not with how black my heart is." My voice rose slightly but I knew I had to lower it. I didn't want to wake the Charmings up. If I wanted peace they had to be asleep.

"That's where you're wrong Regina. Someone does love you…truly loves you. You just can't see it. But you love them too. You just won't admit it to yourself."

"You're lying." I stood and walked away. I wasn't about to listen to this fallen fairy's bullshit.

"Regina, listen to me." She took quick steps to follow me into the woods. "If you want to find your true love you don't have to look very far. The person is a protector and can use a bow very well." Horror swallowed me. The only two people I knew who could use a bow and protected people were the Charmings. I suddenly felt nauseous and stumbled over to a tree. "Are you okay?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I looked up and saw Emma with a knife to Tinkerbell's throat. Tinkerbell had her hands up in surrender as she looked down at me. I had slid to the base of the tree from the slight dizziness.

"She's okay Emma. We were just talking. You can let her go. She won't hurt me." Emma studied me a moment to see if I was telling the truth or not. That little superpower of hers was slightly annoying but it did come in handy at times.

"Alright." She let her arms drop and Tinkerbell stumbled a few feet from us. "Are you okay? You look sick." Emma held out her hand to me. That's when I noticed the tattoo on her wrist. How long had she had that? I took her hand and she pulled me to my feet.

"Yes I'm fine. Just a bit of caffeine withdrawal." I brushed the dirt and leaves from my pants and blazer. How had I not noticed that before?

"I've got some coffee beans that should take care of that. I always carry a bag with me if I go on a trip and don't know when I'll get caffeine again." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She had coffee beans and didn't tell anyone?

"I've been going through caffeine withdrawal for six days and you just NOW mention you have coffee beans with you?" The color drained from her face.

"I thought you were just sick because of the lack of food. If I knew it was from lack of caffeine I would have shared them days ago. Just don't tell anyone else. I'm running low on them."

"Deal." I could feel Tinkerbell watching us as we walked back to camp. She had a smug grin on her face too; I could feel it. The sun was halfway over the mountains by now, as Emma dug through her bag. She tossed me a little battered brown satchel. As I untied it, the smell of coffee filled my nostrils and brought life to my body. I took three beans and tossed them in my mouth. Emma chuckled as I tilted my head back when I felt the surge of energy rush through my veins.

"They are a magic of their own aren't they?" I nodded as I swallowed.

"They are indeed." She only popped one bean into her mouth before putting them away. "Aren't you going to eat more than one?"

"No. Since we're sharing them now, we need to conserve them. I know we won't be here much longer but just to be safe." A small smile crossed her face a moment.

"What?" She stood and walked into the woods again. She picked up the axe before leaving camp.

"Nothing." I followed. She was keeping something from me. "It's just; we share Henry and now coffee beans. Both things we hold dear to us. They are completely different but it's just…I don't know. I just want to get back home with Henry."

"You want to go back to the Enchanted Forest?" I stood back as she started to swing the axe down on a piece of wood. It split in two clean pieces.

"No. Storybrooke." I raised an eyebrow. "I just want things to go back to the way they were. Well, kinda like they were."

"What do you mean?" I handed her another piece of wood. She obviously needed to get some frustration out or she would've had someone else chop the wood.

"I mean, all of us back in town. Me the Sheriff and you the Mayor. Mary Margaret as the school teacher and life being simple. I don't want us being at each other's throat though. That I don't miss. But the simplicity I do. I promise when we get back and things go back to normal, I will never be late with paperwork again." For once I actually laughed.

"You're not as much of a thorn as I thought. As long as we don't fight over Henry, I believe we could work together well." Emma stopped and stared at the wood.

"You would be okay with us raising Henry…together?" Her voice was shaky and she never looked at me. I had never truly gave that idea any thought.

"I believe we could work on that. You're parents won't like the idea very much." This is when the old Emma showed itself. She rolled her eyes as she drew the axe back over her shoulder. I handed her a piece of wood.

"At this point, I don't care much of what they think. One thing that this trip has shown me, is just how annoying and blind they are. They don't know how the real world works. I love them, don't get me wrong, but the situation is complicated. Henry loves us both and we both love him. It's not fair if either of us have to give him up." I was quiet as I watched. "What?"

"Nothing. But yes, I'd like if we could share Henry. We just have to get him back first." Emma stood straight and dropped the axe. She locked eyes with me and placed her hand on my arm as she spoke.

"We will find him Regina. I promise you that." Her hand felt warm on my arm. There was a moment of silence before she let it drop. "Now, let's take the wood back to camp before my parents come looking for us. They don't like when I'm alone with you."

"Why is that?" The thought amused me as I grabbed wood.

"They think you're going to turn me evil or something. They don't want my heart to be as black as yours. Mary Margaret and David both think that your heart is totally black."

"What do you think?" It was nice talking peacefully with Emma. No one was around to annoy us.

"I don't think it's totally black. There's no way you could love Henry the way you do if it was. And there are other times where true love and pure emotion shined in your eyes. If you're heart was fully black, that wouldn't happen." She bit her lip and cleared her throat. I guess, from the blush on her cheeks, that she was kicking herself for saying too much.

"Thank you Emma."


	2. Chapter 2

We got back to camp and of course Emma's parents hounded her on where she was and why she with me. "Oh yes Mary Margaret I'm going to take your daughter's innocence and turn her evil. Just like me." It took all Emma had to not laugh, though she did look mortified. Mary Margaret, on the other hand, looked like she was about to faint.

"Oh come now mates, Miss. Swan can't be that innocent. She has a tattoo and a kid." Oh how much I wanted to set that dirty pirate on fire. "I'm sure she's more evil then we all know…"

"Hook, go away." Emma went to start a fire and cook food. It was another day of not finding Pan and one more day of not having Henry. I was glad that Emma wasn't amused by Hook. From what I could tell, she wasn't swayed by his 'charm' one bit.

The next morning, right when the sun was starting to rise, I woke up again. I looked over to where Emma slept but she was gone. Everyone else was there though. I got up quietly and started to walk in the woods. Without making noise, I walked up and saw her. I was surprised when I saw her aiming an arrow at a tree that had a bull's eye painted on it. She shot a few arrows and hit dead center every time. The conversation I had with Tinkerbell came back to mind. She said my true love would have a lion tattoo and could use a bow well. As she fired one last shot, I waved my hand and set it on fire. "What the…" I cleared my throat and she turned. "Regina…" She seemed to relax when she realized it was me.

"Nice shot Swan." I walked up as she pulled the arrows out of the tree.

"Thanks. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep. The pirate's drunken snoring woke me." I picked up the bow. "You're a good shot. When did you learn to do that?"

"I just picked it up while we were here. I saw Mary Margaret use them when we were in the Enchanted Forest and wanted to try it. Never got bored enough to actually try until we got here and I couldn't sleep. Have you ever tried?"

"No dear. A Queen, especially with magic, doesn't use weapons." An evil grin crossed her lips.

"A bet between two bored mothers?" I raised an eyebrow. What was she getting at? "You try it. If you hit the target, without using magic, you get the rest of the coffee beans."

"And if I lose?" She handed me an arrow.

"Come now, your Majesty, you never really lose and you know it." There was something in her voice that I couldn't place. It was a playfulness that I had never heard before. I rolled my eyes and aimed for the target. A moment later, I let the arrow loose and it zipped through the air. "Not bad Regina. You would've killed the target. I'll make sure to never piss you off if you have a bow in your hands."

"Thank you." We shot arrows for at least an hour to pass the time. It was fun actually. "I can see why you like this. It gets aggression out."

"Yes, it does. I think if I couldn't chop wood or shoot, I'd end up killing Hook."

"So he annoys you as well?" I pulled the remaining arrows from the tree and we began to walk back.

"You have no idea." She ran her hand through her hair. "He's a pig. I tell him I'm not interested but he keeps flirting with me. If I could cast a muting curse or something I…" Emma paused a moment. "Regina?"

"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow at Emma. Knowing exactly what she wanted to ask me to do. "Oh dear I can't do that. I'd never hear the end of it. Now you on the other hand…."

"Nope." She raised her hands in mock defeat. "Don't teach me how to do that or my parents and Hook would never be able to speak again."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Emma said nothing; she just chuckled. The others were awake and moving around the camp. Emma glanced to me with a mischievous grin.

"No comment." I stayed my distance from Emma and the rest of the group for the most part. If I got near Emma, the Charmings hovered, and the pirate just smelt bad. I mean yes, we had to bathe in the river nearby but at least we didn't smell all that bad. What I wouldn't give to have a nice, long, hot shower with my brown sugar body wash.

"Thinking about your love interest?" I shot Tinkerbell a deathly glare as she walked up behind me. "No worries. No one heard."

"No I'm not. I'm thinking how happy I'll be when I get off this Godforsaken island and back home with my son." Tinkerbell popped a berry into her mouth and looked at Emma behind my shoulder.

"She shoots pretty well for only doing it a few days." How did she…?

"You were watching us?" Tinkerbell looked at me with a small smile.

"Not intentionally. The two of you were shooting for at least two hours and I walked a few yards away when I was getting water. She really likes you Regina."

"No she doesn't. We're just working together to get our son back."

"Our son? How do the two of you share a son if you're not together? I mean, magic is strong between the two of you but…"

"Not like that. She had him and I adopted him." Tinkerbell raised an eyebrow. "It was a closed adoption." I continued to tell her our story and the more I thought about our past the more a warmth started to form in my chest.

"Whatever you say Regina. Believe what you want but I see the truth." We turned when we heard Emma grumble and storm off. "Go after her. See what's wrong." I looked between Tinkerbell and the woods where Emma had stormed off for a moment.

As I walked up behind Emma she was sitting on a rock near the river. "Emma…" She groaned and kept her face in her hands. I took that as a sign to walk and sit beside her. "What've they done now?" She sat there in silence for a bit before sighing.

"They won't leave my past alone. They keep trying to talk to me about Neal and how he would want me to move on. They're trying to hook me up with Hook I just know it." A twitch of anger went through me.

"And you don't want to move on or is it the person you don't want?"

"I want to move on. I mean, I have moved on. Neal was an ass who hurt me. The only good thing he ever did was give us Henry." I frowned my brows at her words. Us. I knew it didn't mean anything but it felt like it did. "I have moved on but I can't tell them that."

"Why can't you tell them? Though, and I'm just putting this out there, if you want it kept a secret, don't tell your mother." Emma chuckled and dropped her hands. A sad smile crossed her lips as she watched the water pass.

"I can't tell them because it's someone…from their past." A list of people who were in town who were from their past went through my brain. That little piece of information didn't narrow the list down at all. I wanted to know but I knew I couldn't ask questions.

"Please tell me it's not Gold…for the love of God…" Emma's eyes grew wide and the color drained from her face.

"No! That's gross!" Her voice raised a few octaves as she tried to get the image out of her head. "That's just wrong….No…." She shuddered with the thought.

"Well that's good to know. I plan on killing him one day." Emma chuckled and shook her head.

"No. It's not Gold. Depending on who you ask, it's worse than him." Worse than him? Who could be worse than…? My eyes grew a moment. Does she…? "It's…."

"Emma? Are you….What are you doing out here with my daughter?" Snow's always annoyed me but when she just assumed I was up to something irritated me more.

"I'm listening to your daughter. Something that you apparently don't do." I stood and faced her.

"Well excuse me for being under a curse for twenty eight years and…"

"Hey!" We looked back at the blonde. "Shut up both of you. Mary Margaret, we were talking calm down. Regina isn't trying to turn me evil or whatever you and David think she tries to do every time we're alone."

"I'm sorry Emma…" She held up her hand. Snow stopped her apology as Emma walked past her.

"I just want to be left alone. I don't want to talk about my past. I don't want to talk about anything right now." Snow and I just stood there and watched as she stormed off deeper into the woods. I was worried about her being alone and so upset but I knew she could take care of herself.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, I left camp before sunset. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Was Emma about to say she had moved on and wants me? I'm the only one who could be worse than Gold. "Regina?" I turned and saw Emma walk up. "It seems this is our thinking spot? This or the tree we use for target practice." It was true; any time we weren't at camp we always came to the same rock by the river.

"I guess it is." She came and sat beside me on the rock and looked at the water. We sat in silence a few minutes.

"Come with me?" She stood and I watched her skeptically. "I want to show you something." I took the bait and followed her. We hiked for about ten minutes before coming to a cliff. The sight was beautiful. The sun was sinking behind the mountains and trees in different shades of reds and oranges. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"It is. Why'd you bring me here?" I could feel something off with Emma. She was holding something back.

"Why have you been acting off ever since Tinkerbell came around? Something has changed with you. Has she told you something about Henry that you've kept to yourself?"

"No. She's not said anything about Henry." I was quiet. Could I tell her the truth? Of course I couldn't. What's gotten into me lately? The idea that Emma could love me was ridiculous.

"What'd she tell you then?" Always to the point. That's the Emma Swan I've come to know. "Regina, tell me."

"She told me something about the past. Something that brings up some emotions that I don't care to think about."

"Something about love I'm guessing?" I stiffened. "That's one emotion that no one wants to deal with. It can cause pure happiness but at the same time pure heartache."

"Yes. It was about love." My answers became short and to the point. This was not a subject I enjoyed.

"Aren't fairies supposed to be really powerful and their dust lead you to your true love or something like that?" My attention went from the sunset towards the blonde. "I heard mother superior talking about it back in Storybrooke."

"Yes, and it's supposed to never be wrong."

"Is that what happened with you and Tinkerbell? She led you to your true love but something went wrong?" I stayed quiet. I could feel Emma's eyes burning into me.

"Yes. It led me to my supposed true love but I couldn't go inside. Then decades later, Tinkerbell tells me that it was wrong. That, at the time, that was my happy ending but only because my true happy ending hadn't been born yet." Something changed in Emma at that second.

"I believe love is complicated and can come in many different forms. And that we can be led to our happy ending in many different ways. We may not realize it in the beginning but if we pay attention we can find it." She paused. "I told you that I moved on but I couldn't tell my parents who I loved…."

"Because the person was from their past and one of their enemies."

"Yeah." She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I don't think Henry led me to Storybrooke just to break the curse. I think he read more into his book."

"How so?" She was getting close to telling me what I wanted to know. I secretly waved my hand and put up a protection spell to keep everyone else on the island away from us. We were in our own little bubble. No one could get in nor could we hear them either.

"I think he knew his mother, the Evil Queen, was unhappy. I think he knew that she was lashing out because she wanted her own happy ending. He knew the Savior would break the curse and bring back all the happy endings. And happy endings aren't what we always think they will be. It doesn't have to be a love between a man and a woman. It can be a love between two mothers and loving their son." I stayed quiet as Emma stumbled over her words. "I mean, it can be a love they share for their son and maybe a love they share for each other…" By now, Emma was looking at her feet. The sun had almost disappeared behind the trees.

"Emma…" What was I about to do? This was a bad idea but I had to say it. Otherwise I'd never say it. "Tinkerbell said that my true love would have a lion tattoo and be very skilled at archery." Her head shot up and she watched me from the corner of her eye. "Do you love me Emma?" She bit her bottom lip and nodded her head.

"Do you…do you love me?" Her voice was small. I could barely hear her.

"I believe I do. I don't know how to love very well nor do I remember how it feels. Daniel was the only other person I loved in that way so…I'm not sure how it goes." Emma walked up to me quickly and turned me. She laced her fingers in my hair and looked from my eyes to my lips.

"May I?" I gave her a small smile. Emma leaned in slowly and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. Her lips were soft. I had forgotten what it felt like to have a gentle and meaningful kiss. I believe Emma was surprised when I pulled her against me and deepened the kiss. After we broke the kiss, she let her forehead rest against mine. "I am so screwed. I fell in love with my parents' greatest enemy. And I share a son with said enemy."

"I believe your words to my mother were…I kinda share him with Regina. It's complicated." She laughed.

"Yeah. Mary Margaret wasn't happy with my wording. She doesn't want me raising him with you but that's what I want. And I believe that's what Henry wants too."

"Then that's what we'll do."


End file.
